Phillies: Two Big Questions After Being Swept on Opening Weekend
Photo via NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Phillies don’t play well in Texas.
They also never seem to play well on national TV.
Unfortunately, the Phillies opened their season with a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, with two of the three games broadcasted nationally.
And to say that it did not go well is quite an understatement.
The Phillies jumped on former Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom early in game one but failed to hold their five-run lead, which came to be after big hits from Alec Bohm and Trea Turner, thanks to a disastrous bottom of the fourth inning where the Rangers tacked on eight. From there, the Rangers obliterated the rest of the Phillies’ bullpen and never looked back.
On Saturday, Phillies fans got an exacerbated version of Thursday’s nightmare—a brutal 16-3 loss.
In game three, Rangers’ third baseman Josh Jung took Phillies’ starter Bailey Falter deep in the second inning, and the Phillies tied it back up in the fourth. Two innings later, though, an RBI single hit by Marcus Semien put the Rangers back in front. Despite a solid 2.2 innings from the Phils’ ‘pen, their offense failed to catch back up.
Is the Phillies’ pitching that bad?
The last time the Phillies’ pitching staff allowed 27 runs in the first 16 innings of their season, Cy Young led the major leagues in WAR, and neither World War had happened yet. To be exact, it was the year 1895 when the Phillies allowed 29 runs in their first two games.
This year, however, the expectations for the Phillies are different. Coming off a trip to the World Series, the Phils are expected to contend for the National League title again in 2023. Unfortunately, these steep expectations were not met this weekend.
After games one and two, Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto didn’t even have ERAs after they allowed a combined ten runs, and both failed to record an out. Aaron Nola had a blow-up fourth inning on Opening Day, resulting in Rob Thomson going to the bullpen after just 3.2 innings. Nola allowed five earned runs on four hits and two walks. Two days later, Zack Wheeler allowed four earned runs in 4.1 innings, earning the loss in game two of the series. Connor Brogdon’s ERA sits at 9.00 after the series, Craig Kimbrel had to be pulled after allowing three runs in .1 innings, and Yunior Marte allowed two runs and recorded just two outs.
With seasoned veterans like Wheeler, Nola, Kimbrel, and Soto and younger guys like Bellatti, Brogdon, and Marte, the Phillies’ pitching staff should, in theory, turn it around. While there were glimpses of this in game three when Soto and Brogdon each threw scoreless innings, there are reasons to doubt what some see as an inevitable turnaround.
Nola struggled throughout Spring Training, posting a 6.75 ERA in five Grapefruit League starts, and he has been inconsistent over the past four seasons. On an even more concerning note, Seranthony Dominguez said that he “doesn’t feel good right now.”
How much can the Phillies trust Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm?
In the midst of a rough stretch, there are usually some positive takeaways. In this series, it was Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos. Not only did Bohm post a 1.144 OPS in his first three games, but he also flashed some leather defensively, making a diving play at third base in game two. Castellanos recorded four hits in the series and reached base six times. More importantly, Castellanos showed an improvement in plate discipline, as he was able to lay off pitches outside of the zone.
Needless to say, certain Phillies are going to need to step up because of the absences of Rhys Hoskins and, temporarily, Bryce Harper. After a disappointing debut season in Philadelphia, Nick Castellanos returning to his 2021 form could potentially make up for the lack of Hoskins’ bat in the lineup. Whether fans think he is or is not capable of doing so, he’ll have to if the Phillies want to be competitive.
As for Bohm, the expectations could be even higher after spending his offseason building muscle and fine-tuning his defense at third base.
Ever since the beginning of 2022, Bohm has been making adjustments and improvements to increase his value on the field. After a discouraging 2021 campaign, Bohm hit .280 in 2022 and saw some bursts of power toward the end of the season.
Now, he is expected to be a run-producer in the middle of the Phillies’ lineup, and his presence in this position was noteworthy in this first series of the season.
The Phillies begin a three-game series against the Yankees in the Bronx on Monday.
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